Chapter 866 - 50: Apocalypse!
From the time the Golden Tree completely ruled the Boundary Land, this world lost the normalcy of death.
Because the Golden Law does not permit death, does not acknowledge death, instead, it replaced it with the concept of "Returning Tree." However, it did not establish a complete cycle of reincarnation, but rather simply and bluntly suppressed the afterlife rules that had been operating on this land for a very long time—
Since ancient times, the dead have been lost lambs, thus requiring someone to stand up and guide them, which led to the emergence of the Tibia Call Ship...
It is also said that before the Golden Tree’s appearance, death would be baptized by Spiritual Fire, thus the Death Ceremony Bird existed as the Flame Guardian of the cemetery...
And that Heaven Black Tower standing in the Soul World, emitting a faint light, becoming a beacon for the dead, it is said that the nature of the light is similar to that of Blessing, seen only by Heroic Spirits...
All of this indicates that before the descent of the Golden Tree, the Boundary Land was a world with a complete law of life and death. All things experienced the cycle of life and death, and there were mechanisms guiding the deceased, with perpetual vitality across the world, everything flowing.
Until the rule of the Golden Law came, normal death became incorrect, and these mechanisms guiding the deceased were naturally rejected and suppressed.
This is an extremely abnormal thing, and errors will not disappear into thin air.
If not corrected, errors will only accumulate gradually, ultimately becoming irreparable.
Perhaps in the era when the Golden Tree was most powerful, its blessings abundant and plentiful, the problems caused by the conflicts between these rules could still be suppressed. But during that distant night of conspiracy, part of death was stolen, transformed into power and infused into the assassins’ blades, used to kill "Golden" Gedwin...
—In a world where death should not appear, appeared the first demigod deceased.
—The contradiction at the rule level was completely detonated prematurely, this enormous impact and severely deteriorating situation made it impossible for the Golden Law to continue to gloss over the peace.
If the Elden Ring is a system governing all the world’s rules, then this single bug is very fatal... Thereafter, it was Queen Marika who shattered the Elden Ring, leading to the Shattering War, and up to the present fragmented world.
Perhaps just as the demigods went astray and went mad due to the Ring’s fragments, Queen Marika also became deranged and insane because of the Ring’s bug, ultimately committing the grave sin of shattering the Ring.
Some once speculated this way, but there was no way to prove it.
Until now, all of this no longer matters.
After such a chaotic and long period, the Boundary Land has long since transformed from its former prosperity into its current state of ruin and decay. Nimgruf, Liyenia, Gaelid, and Yatan Plateau, there is hardly a normal living person to be found on any continent.
This is not an exaggeration, but a definite fact.
So...
It’s time to end it all!
If the Golden Law cannot solve the problem, then crush it directly and let a better era of law replace it, isn’t this the natural thing to do?
"Starry Era!"
"King of the Night!"
The allied forces roared these slogans, charging up the Yatan Plateau, advancing toward the Royal City. Although the Royal City struggled to hold on, this time they were outnumbered, showing signs of complete disintegration and a state of powerlessness... Heroic Gargoyles, Tree Guards, Golem Guards, once formidable entities, were defeated one by one.
The side defending the Golden Tree showed a complete collapse this time.
The Royal City was on the brink of destruction, everything was falling apart.
On the plains surrounding the city walls, a vast expanse once again turned into a brutal battleground.
Huge catapults, either under the power of magic or under the power of Mountain Demons, hurled heavy projectiles, creating massive craters upon impact. Giant-level golems pulled back their giant bows, and a single arrow was like a heavy missile, its mere mass capable of pinning a Sub-dragon to the ground.
The knights, amidst the incessant rain of fire, stones, and giant arrows, threw themselves into the battle with no regard for their lives, fighting in bloodshed.
With the slightest carelessness, the result would be a pulverized end, both for them and their enemies.
Yet they could not stop the unstoppable momentum of the allied forces, especially not the terrifying power of those Heroes of Steel, who transformed themselves into sharp arrows, charging across the battlefield, viciously tearing apart the enemy forces.
A distant slash created twisted circular mirror regions that cut open space...
With a mere wave, hurricanes were unleashed to obliterate thousands of troops, flatten mountain peaks...
Piercing into the ground, growing like plants, enlarging the sword body, the sky split by the blade...
Especially before these increasingly brutal, terrifying, and fearsome powers, even the heroes of gold were retreating successively. At this desperate juncture, accompanied by earth-shattering roars and roars, countless twisted red lightning bolts descended from the sky, as if turning the entire battlefield into a sea of thunder!
Red lightning!
This is the lightning strike controlled only by Ancient Dragons!!
For one instant, some quick-thinking or experienced individuals recalled the Ancient Dragon War from very long ago, when the Great Ancient Dragon Guransangx attacked, directly breaching the walls of the Royal City of Rodel, leading to a prolonged war between the Royal City and the Ancient Dragons.
Ultimately, in the final stages of the war, both sides shook hands and made peace—
The Ancient Dragon Felsang and "Golden" Gedwin turned from enemies into friends, while his sister Lance Sankes often transformed into human form, entering the Royal City to interact with priests and knights as part of the Ancient Dragon faith... From this, it can also be seen that the Ancient Dragon faith was introduced into the Royal City, likely as a result of some sort of exchange of interests.
At that time, just like at this moment, another Ancient Dragon rushed into the battlefield outside the Royal City’s walls, descending spectacular red falling thunder!
With a deafening roar, its destructive power is boundless.
Yet unlike before, this time the attacking Ancient Dragon was clearly standing on the side of the Royal City, just as the red dragon thunder was solely directed at the allied forces! The red power, with unimaginable majesty, tore through the atmosphere, descending upon the vast earth.
"Roar—!!"
The immense snow-white body of the Ancient Dragon, as large as a mountain, suddenly descended upon the battlefield amidst roaring sounds, spreading its overwhelming Dragon Mighty power across the area, causing countless people to tremble uncontrollably, their faces turning pale.
Four wings and four limbs, marks of the Ancient Dragon!
The snow-white mountain-like mass, yet from its scales to its wing membranes, along with its sharp claws and fangs, all appear forged from steel, seemingly flowing with a cold metallic sheen. Its muscular physique, as if forged from steel yet possessing smooth lines, radiated an aesthetic of power.
In this instant, countless individuals experienced an intensely vivid realization of what the concept of an Ancient Dragon truly meant.
"Hahahahaha, good! Excellent!"
The Omen Demon Ghost, who struck fear into countless hearts, currently ruling over the Royal City of Rodeland as the Blessed King, wielded his sword to unleash slashes infused with Curse Blood, driving back the enemy’s siege. Witnessing this scene, he couldn’t help but laugh aloud, thinking how ironic it was that in the final moments, those once blessed Demigods were nowhere to be seen.
It turned out that only the former enemies of the Royal City stood decisively on the side of Rodeland at this critical juncture.
Upon seeing this spectacle, the Knights of the Royal City, especially those who believed in the Ancient Dragon, along with the Cultivators, found their spirits lifted, boosting their morale significantly. Their spiritual demeanor appeared akin to two contrasting faces. Conversely, the coalition forces, which had been buoyantly advancing, naturally suffered a severe blow.
However, in the next moment—
A terrifying pressure descended simultaneously!
Above the coalition, a rift in spacetime abruptly tore open, revealing an infinite storm raging within the sky, with colossal clouds connecting the earth to the heavens, floating rock layers, collapsing structures, and shattered palaces suspended in mid-air, resembling a gradually disintegrating kingdom.
Within this rift stretching across the sky’s ends, several Ancient Dragons with four wings and four limbs could be seen crouching upon floating ruins.
And at the direction towards which they worshiped—
A colossal Five-headed Giant Dragon, with necks entwining like giant serpents, was descending slowly from the spacetime rift, casting an enormous shadow upon the clouds and covering vast areas of the battlefield.
"..."
"..."
Deathly silence.
This descending Five-headed Giant Dragon instantaneously became the sole focus of the earthly realm.
Impossible...
Moments prior, the Ancient Dragon Lance Sankes, commanding endless crimson thunder, stood mightily on the ground, its snow-white form frozen as it stared dumbfounded at this scene in the sky, inner turmoil overwhelming it.
She recognized what this existence was!
Yet precisely because she recognized it, she felt immense shock and disbelief!
The "Dragon King" Platonsank!
The king of Ancient Dragons, even the King Elden from before the Golden Tree Era!
However, the deity had already departed, the Dragon King stationed at the spacetime rift’s storm center—awaiting the deity’s return. Thus, eternally positioned in the spacetime rift, the Dragon King shouldn’t appear here, and moreover, how did it regain its five-headed form when only two heads had remained?
Could it be... the deity has returned?
All of this indeed embodied the Dragon God’s will within, aiming to shatter the golden meaning?
The mind of the Ancient Dragon Lance Sankes spun chaotically, yet the current circumstances left her little room to contemplate. The descending Five-headed Dragon King unfurled its entwined necks, releasing thunderous roars imbued with a potent will, shaking all existence.
The Ancient Dragon’s snow-white eyes swayed violently, and after struggling, she finally made her decision.
Her mountain-like body abruptly turned, and the towering Giant Dragon, standing upright, manifested a red Thunder Blade from its massive dragon claws, sweeping ferociously through the air, unleashing lightning strikes that ravaged everything, instantly leveling the path to the Royal City, reducing a section of Rodeland’s towering city walls to fine dust!
In this resolute defection, the tide of battle reversed swiftly!
And earlier, just after their morale surged, the believing Knights and Cultivators, still brimming with morale, felt no small astonishment, yet upon witnessing their revered existence express a clear will and attitude, they promptly adjusted their own stance.
They fought not for the Royal City but for their belief!
Conversely, the Royal City faltered utterly, with everyone realizing the tide had turned against them. Regardless of their furious roaring, unleashing power, their unwillingness proved futile.
Just as the Royal City’s forces neared complete obliteration, and Rodeland was on the verge of total destruction at this very moment—
Rumble—!!
As if struck by a roaring of billions of thunderbolts, accompanied by countless fiery lights descending from beyond the sky, meteors bursting with malice crashed into various sections of the Boundary Land, the sky ignited ablaze in that instant.
The atmosphere trembled!
The sky trembled!
As if sounding the end-of-days horn of doom!
The ultimate will finally stirred, completely enraged, and under its terrifying gaze, the whole Boundary Land trembled intensely, showcasing a scene of earth-shattering apocalyptic signs, as if the continent itself might abruptly split apart in the next moment.
Meanwhile, the flaming sky was instantly shrouded in eternal night, and a gigantic ominous moon loomed overhead.
The moon twirled slowly in the celestial realm, revealing its true form, a massive mechanical frame.